BLUE DVD KIOSKS WILL BE TURNING RED

Redbox is taking over Blockbuster Express. In a surprise announcement on Monday, Coinstar, which operates the Redbox DVD kiosks, and NCR, which has operated the Blockbuster Express kiosks said that they will merge. Under the deal Redbox will pay NCR $100 million for its assets in company. For the time being, the Blockbuster Express logo will remain on the NCR machines, but the use of that name is currently the subject of a legal dispute with DISH network, which acquired the Blockbuster stores, and an NCR spokesman told Home Media magazine on Monday, “Once the deal is completed, NCR will have no need for the Blockbuster license. … NCR will be out of the owner-operator business in entertainment.” Monday was eventful in other ways for Coinstar/Redbox. It reported fourth-quarter revenue of $520.5 million, up more than 33 percent from the same period a year ago. And it announced a deal with Verizon to begin a streaming subscription service a la Netflix later this year.